Voicing

Voicing gives the piano individuality and character. Within the
parameters set by the hammers, belly, and room acoustics, a
voicing can modulate tonal projection and control the progression of tonal color at
different dynamic levels.

Voicing or “tone-regulating” can be defined as adjusting the piano’s
tonal characteristics by manipulating
the shape, mass, density, and stiffness of its hammers.

Most people see voicing only as a way to manipulate
timbre—to make a piano sound brighter or mellower. However,
the hammer damps high partials
in soft playing, whereas it releases their full spectrum on hard
blows. This creates a tonal
gradient that makes the piano as expressive and versatile
as it is. The spectrograms to the right, depicting the partials
produced by the same hammer in very loud (fff)
and very soft (ppp) playing (without the use of the soft
pedal), show how dramatic the timbral
variations can be. They illustrate
why a skillful player can create orchestral effects on
a well-voiced piano.

A concert-level voicing doesn't only ensure a mellow ppp
and brassy fff, but provides a natural and expressive
progression of color from one end of the spectrum to
the other. Recognizing and controlling this progression
requires a high degree of skill and experience.

Voicing can’t change the basic tonal character of the piano
or the hammers—it is a way to release a piano’s potential
and even out its tone. If the hammers or belly constrain the tone
in any way,
it is best to address deficiencies in those areas before performing
fine voicing.